Midnight Madness Over the Release of 'Watchmen'

The admissions price was $9.75 for the midnight opening runs of "Watchmen" at the Century 20 El Con Mall movie theater in Tucson. But for the 1,500 ticket holders there on the wake of March 6, the value of seeing the graphic novel turned big screen blockbuster surpassed the dollar cost.

"There's such a human element about 'Watchmen'," Thomas Way, 18, said. "So many superhero movies are so over-the-top. But in 'Watchmen,' the characters are flawed and deal with a lot of insecurities. It reaches you on an emotional level, because you can really connect with what they're going through."

Way and his two lifelong friends Alex Whelan and Zach Besich attended the 12:01 a.m. screening at El Con. Their interest in "Watchmen" was first peaked when they read the comic book series two years ago. All three of them are seniors at Rincon/University high school.

The El Con movie theater featured the most midnight shows of "Watchmen" in the city with four screenings. It sold out the first three time slots and nearly maxed ticket sales on its final run of the night, which aired at 12:30 a.m.

"We knew this was going to be a really busy night with lines wrapping through the whole theater," El Con ticket window employee Claudia Caire said. "People are working around the clock tonight."

The four other Tucson movie theaters with a midnight opening show were Century Park Place 20, Foothills, Harkins Spectrum and Tower Theatres.

To prepare for the "Watchmen" debut rush, El Con movie theater manager Geoff Armstrong said he made sure the venue was fully staffed and everything was stocked. He also added that despite the flood of traffic, his workers were accustomed to handling such circumstances.

How does Armstrong personally feel about the box office hit that brought in $4.6 million in midnight opening runs across the country?

"I want to see it," he said. "It's bringing in a lot of business, and it's been slow the last few weeks. So yeah, I definitely want to see it."

Also in the "Watchmen" trenches that night was El Con movie theater employee Raul Gonzalez, who set up the movie's display. He considers himself a general fan of the graphic novel and read it last year when a friend gave him a copy. Gonzalez's favorite hero in the film is Silk Spectre II, played by Malin Ackerman.

"I like looking at (Ackerman). She's hot, " the 18-year-old said. "I mean, I think I will like the movie itself for its realism and human factor, but that's the main reason I want to see it -- to stare at her."

Every fan, indeed, had a reason.